How To Protect Your Sensor from Dust
The easiest way to protect your sensor from dust is to prevent it from entering your camera in the first place. Here are some steps you can take:
■ Keep your camera clean. Avoid working in dusty areas if you can do so. Make sure you store your camera in a clean environment.
■ When swapping lenses, use a blower or brush to dust off the rear lens mount of the replacement lens first, so you won’t be introducing dust into your camera simply by attaching a new, dusty lens. Do this before you remove the lens from your camera, and then avoid stirring up dust before making the exchange.
■ Minimize the time your camera is lensless and exposed to dust. That means having your replacement lens ready and dusted off, and a place to set down the old lens as soon as it is removed, so you can quickly attach the new lens.
■ Face the camera downward when the lens is detached so any dust in the mirror box will tend to fall away from the sensor. Turn your back to any breezes or sources of dust to minimize infiltration.
■ Once you’ve attached the new lens, quickly put the end cap on the one you just removed to reduce the dust that might fall on it.
■ From time to time, remove the lens while in a relatively dust-free environment and use a blower bulb (not compressed air or a vacuum hose) to clean out the mirror box area. A blower brush is generally safer than a can of compressed air, or a strong positive/negative airflow, which can tend to drive dust further into nooks and crannies.
■ If you’re embarking on an important shooting session, it’s a good idea to clean your sensor now using the suggestions you’ll find below, rather than [...]